Dance of Fate
by Griddlebone
Summary: AU. As life settles down after the events of A Divine Conspiracy, it's time for Trini to reclaim her own destiny. If only that were as easy as it sounds. JasonxTrini, ZackxAngela, TommyxKim, a few other secondary pairings. Companion-fic for A Divine Conspiracy.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: I really needed something fluffy to write. So here we are. This is set after _A Divine_ Conspiracy in the same fantasy AU. I'm planning to write in enough background that you won't need to have read that behemoth to understand what's happening in this one... but we'll see. Let me know what you think!

-x-

 **Prologue: Destiny's Call**

Tears filled Trini's eyes, but she made no attempt to hide them. As she stood before the throne, about to bid a formal, if private, farewell to her closest friend, the fear welling up inside her was only too familiar. It felt like only yesterday that she had made her ill-fated request: to go home to the land called Taye, that had been hidden and protected by powerful magic for her entire life. Then, she had thought that her parents had at long last sent for her. Now she knew better. Her parents were dead.

And, if memories revealed by magic could truly be believed, she was not the daughter of wealthy merchants sent to foster in a royal court, but the last survivor of the Tayene royal family, raised as Kimberly's handmaid and utterly ignorant of the truth. Only a few had known the real story, among them Jason's parents. The Scotts had always safeguarded and protected her, and now they were ready to help her reclaim her destiny.

It didn't seem to Trini that any of it could possibly be true. But there was a part of her that desperately wanted it to be. Thus the farewells and the journey ahead.

This time, Trini reminded herself, she was going at her own behest and no one else's. No one was plotting to kidnap her or to try to use her against her friends. She would be protected by trusted, loyal soldiers, and would never be alone.

She still felt almost sick with fear.

She bowed deeply, with utmost respect, glancing up through her lashes at her oldest, best friend. For a moment she wondered how Kimberly must feel. She was saying farewell today to Trini, as well as Zack and all the others that would be accompanying her south. And in very short order she would have to do the same for Jason and the Phaedan contingent. The castle here had seemed so full of life and familiar faces. In just a few weeks, it would seem hollow and empty. Trini's heart ached in sympathy for Kimberly's loneliness.

At least Kimberly would have Tommy to keep her company and, of all wonders, their son. Trini still wondered about that sometimes. For a thousand years, every Queen of this conspicuously unnamed land had given birth only to a single daughter, who had gone on to become Queen in her own time. Somehow Kimberly had flouted that legacy and given birth to a son. Trini supposed at least that would give both monarchs something to think about during the lonely months ahead.

Kimberly managed to maintain a straight face and regal bearing for the space of a few heartbeats… and then she flung herself from the throne to throw her arms around Trini's shoulders. "I'm going to miss you so much," she murmured.

"You'll come visit me, right?"

"As soon as you're settled," Kimberly promised. "Ivan Ooze couldn't keep me away!"

Trini giggled in spite of herself. "He couldn't keep you away last time," she pointed out.

"And he was alive then! Think how much easier it'll be this time," her friend teased right back.

From his place respectfully to one side, Jason cleared his throat. "Don't I get any credit for that?"

Kimberly shot him a glare; Trini was thankful that they were more or less only among friends. They would not have been able to get away with such friendly bickering in front of the full court, where absolute propriety was a must. "I did most of the work and you know it," Kim retorted.

Trini laughed and stepped back, making room for Zack to say his own farewells. He returned his Queen's embrace with a bear hug of his own. Kimberly's first Knight, Jason's sworn brother, and one of Trini's dearest friends, his presence on this journey would be a blessing.

As she stood there watching, Trini felt as if a rock were caught in her chest. Isabella Scott, Jason's mother, caught her gaze from across the aisle and offered a reassuring smile that did little to ease Trini's heartache and nothing at all to lessen the fear that gripped her.

Tomorrow she would leave this place, the place where she had grown up, the only home she had ever truly known. She would head south into the unknown, and might never return again. The thought terrified her.

The memories of what had happened the last time she attempted this journey were suddenly fresh in her mind. Last time, Jason and Kimberly had somehow discovered that she was in danger and had come to her rescue. She couldn't count on them doing the impossible a second time.

Lady Scott glided over to stand beside her and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "It'll be all right, dear," she promised.

Trini nodded numbly. As the moment of departure loomed, she wanted more and more to go back to the way things had been before. Before Ivan Ooze, before Lord Zedd, before even Rita Repulsa. Immediately, she felt guilty for thinking such things. Without Rita's interference, Tommy and Kimberly probably would never have met. They certainly wouldn't have found their present happiness.

Deep down, Trini knew a measure of her anxiety stemmed from a yearning for that kind of happiness and safety, not from begrudging her friends their hard-won joy.

Casting a hopeful glance at Jason where he stood, unwontedly solemn in finery befitting the Emperor of Phaedos, she hoped she was making the right decision.

Her friends had followed the path laid by fate, and it had served them well. Now it was her turn to answer destiny's call. She only hoped that she, too, would find what she sought.


	2. On the Road

Author's note: I'm sorry it took so long to get this posted. Life caught up with me in a big way for the last few months!

-x-

 **Chapter One: On the Road**

Trini's heart was heavy as she joined the group that would be heading south to Taye. It was a larger group than she had imagined it would be - a full contingent of Kimberly's most loyal guardsmen sat mounted and ready alongside Zack Taylor and Isabella Scott at the head of a long column of porters and supply wagons that yawned and shifted restlessly in the early morning light. They were waiting only for her.

Still, she lingered a moment longer in the shadow of the castle that had always been her home. It was early enough that the sun had not burned away the morning's fog, which gave everything an ethereal, dreamy quality.

Chiding herself for her foolishness, Trini climbed into her saddle and even managed a smile and nod when Isabella asked if she was ready to leave.

As they wended their slow way past the castle and into town, heading for the countryside and the highway that would take them south nearly all the way to the Tayene border, Trini cast only one look back. Even at a distance and through the fading fog, she could see a figure standing on the battlements, watching, and she knew without knowing how that it was Jason. A part of her was disappointed that he had not come to send her off this morning, but she knew it was probably for the best. The two of them had said their farewells last night, in private. That would have to be enough to sustain her, for they had no idea when they would see each other next.

She wished more than anything that he had been able to make this journey beside her, but she had been the first to point out that his presence at this point would only complicate matters. She had been away from her homeland nearly her entire life. There were bound to be enough doubts about her identity without giving anyone reason to think she might merely be a pretender put forward as the heir due to her loyalty to the new Emperor of Phaedos. Bad enough that his mother was coming along anyway, ostensibly as Kimberly's ambassador, unofficially as Trini's adviser. There was nothing she could do about that except hope for the best.

For most of the first day, Trini rode as if in a daze. She had hoped never to ride this way again, the memory of her last such journey, much of which had been spent imprisoned in the back of a wagon, still haunted her dreams. But she and Zack had been alone then, cut off from their friends and easily overwhelmed by their so-called guides.

They rode among friends now. They were safe. They would not be taken again.

Or so she hoped.

They took their time, heading down the road at a leisurely pace. Trini knew the plan was to move slowly, giving their scouts time to ferret out what was going on ahead of and around them each step of the way. That way, Isabella had reasoned, they wouldn't unexpectedly blunder into a dangerous situation. Trini couldn't fault her logic, but she still wished they had opted for speed and stealth. The sooner this trip was over, the sooner she could relax.

Zack's voice cut through her gloomy reverie. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "It's just that this all seems so unreal."

Zack nodded. "I know it was a long time ago now, but I keep expecting to turn around and see Sunan Lin or one of his men." He shuddered visibly.

"I'll take this view any day over the one we had last time," Trini said, indicating the countryside around them. "It's much better surrounded by friends, instead of strangers."

"You're right about that," Zack agreed. His smile faded quickly, however. "I still wish Jason, Kim, and the others could have come with us."

Something told Trini there was someone else he wished had come with them, too, but she decided not to push the issue. Instead she fell silent for a while, letting the sounds of the group around them fill the quiet. She was glad she wasn't the only one missing their friends, even if she understood why they weren't here. "Jason will be coming along eventually," she reminded him in quiet tones so she would not be overheard. "And I'm sure Kim and Tommy and all the others will, too."

"But right now they've got kingdoms to run," Zack agreed. "I know. I can still wish, though."

They lapsed into companionable silence after that. Trini took a few deep breaths and let them go, focusing on the wind in her hair and the gentle motion of her horse as it walked along the road in an effort to calm her mind. But the peace was not to last.

One of the guardsmen nudged his horse toward hers, breaking away from the cluster. "How are you holding up, Trini?" Farkas Bulkmeier asked. Trini would rather not have had Sir Bulk, as he was often called, and his crony Eugene Skullovitch along for this trip. The two had been the castle's bumbling troublemakers for much of Trini's life, but they had served Isabella and her husband well during Kimberly's journey to Phaedos. Not even Trini had felt it right to deny them when they asked to be part of the contingent of guards heading for Taye. They might irritate her - and she might not trust them farther than she could throw them - but they had her best interest at heart. She would just have to put up with them.

"I'm fine, Bulk," she told him, as pleasantly as she could.

"You'll tell me if you're not, right?" he prodded. He looked so serious that she almost wanted to giggle.

"I will, I promise," she said, careful to keep her voice sounding suitably calm and serious. He nodded once in response, but his expression told her beyond a shadow of a doubt that he meant to hold her to that promise. A year ago, she would not have believed this man capable of such fierce loyalty. How things had changed in such a short time!

Zack fell in beside her again later that day, as their first day of travel was coming to an end. They rode in comfortable silence, listening to the conversations of their companions and the gentle sounds of the countryside around them, as the sun sank lower and lower to paint the sky in vibrant colors. Soon they would reach a village and its waystation, where they would spend the first night of their journey.

"It'll be nice to have a roof over our heads," Trini began, but a commotion from further back in the train interrupted her. She looked back, but couldn't see what was causing the fuss. "What's going on?"

Zack tensed beside her, his hand moving reflexively to the hilt of the axe that was always at his side. Trini tried not to let fear of the worst overcome her, but it was not an easy task.

"What is going on here?" Isabella Scott demanded, her voice rising firm and imperious over the hubbub.

Bulk and Skull broke through the milling ranks of guards. "Someone's here to see Zack, my lady," Bulk informed her. Zack shared a worried look with Trini.

"Go," she told him, hating how her nerves showed in her voice. "Find out what they want." _Find out if it's safe._

"Jason charged me with keeping you safe," he began. Trini knew why that assignment was so important to him, even if she disagreed with his reasoning. He still felt that he'd failed her last time, that somehow he should have been able to prevent their capture, no matter the odds against him. Trini knew there was nothing he could have done to keep Ivan Ooze from taking them prisoner and using them to lure Jason and Kimberly into his trap.

"I _am_ safe," she countered. "Nothing is going to happen to me. At the first sign of danger, Isabella is going to whisk me out of here to safety even if we have to run all the way back to the castle in the dark." She tried to look as determined as possible. "So go find out who this is and what they want, so we can get to the inn before it gets dark."

Zack gave her one last questioning look, then set off after Skull. Trini waited until he was out of sight before letting out a deep sigh.

"He means well, you know," Isabella commented. "We all do."

"I know," Trini murmured, feeling self-conscious. "But I'm not some helpless damsel that you need to smother. This journey's going to be awful if everyone acts like I might shatter at any moment the whole time."

"I assure you," Isabella said with infinite patience, "no one here believes you will shatter." But Trini did not miss the look she gave Bulk, as if she were giving orders without words: Bulk and the guardsmen had better not make Trini feel smothered unless they had good cause.

Trini looked to the bloodred sky, suppressed another sigh, and wished she had never been foolish enough to leave home.

-x-

"Is there a reason you couldn't just tell me who this mysterious person is?" Zack asked Skull, his voice dry as frustration threatened to get the better of him. "Or why you couldn't just send them away?"

"Yeah," Eugene Skullovitch grumbled right back, sounding none to thrilled himself as he led the way to the very tail end of the supply train. Zack bristled, the memory of betrayal and capture setting his heart to pounding. Oblivious, Skull continued, "She wanted it to be a surprise."

"She?" Zack wondered aloud. But he did not have to wonder long. Even cloaked and on horseback, facing away from him as she was, he would have recognized this woman anywhere. "Angela." He said her name before he could even think to stop himself. She heard him speak and turned to look at him. If he had not been mounted, he would have tripped over his own feet. He'd seen her only yesterday, but it felt like years. That her family was not thrilled by their betrothal and had forbidden her from accompanying him had been a thorn in his side all day, his one major regret about all this. He'd been willing to go forward for Trini's sake, but he hadn't liked it. Now, all his irritation was forgotten.

"Hello to you, too," Angela said pleasantly as Skull sheepishly slipped away. The guardsmen were obviously intensely curious, but nobody dared look directly at them. This was as private a greeting as they were going to get.

Zack dismounted to approach her on foot. She let him take her hand in his, her dark eyes brimming with unspoken emotion. He stumbled over his words, his heart pounding now for a totally different reason than it had a moment ago. "What… why… how…?"

By contrast Angela was entirely composed. "Last time I let you go, I almost lost you forever. And once you had left today, I realized that I couldn't let that happen again, no matter what my father says."

If there were words adequate to describe his elation, Zack could not think of them. But the feeling was fleeting, replaced by concern. "But your father… won't he punish you for disobeying?"

"How can he, when I'll be all the way in Taye?" she asked sweetly, but he could sense steel beneath that velvety smooth voice. "Besides… I'm his heir. What can he do, really?"

Zack could think of a number of things, but he kept his mouth shut. Angela's lips curved into a deprecating smile as she went on, "He can disown me if he wants, but I don't think he will. All that will do is ensure I never return, and I'll have you either way." There was a delicious hint of wickedness behind that smile and the pure innocence of her face that made Zack grin in response. "My father may still see you only as a landless, fosterling knight, but you're so much more to me than that, Zack…"

She trailed off, brushing the fingers of her free hand gently against his cheek. As if it had only just occurred to her, she added, "If you'll have me, that is."

Stepping back, Zack bowed with a flourish. "My lady," he said, "I would be honored if you would join our humble company." He only hoped Trini and Isabella would be as happy to have Angela along as he was.

-x-

It was with some relief that Trini welcomed Angela to the group. Although everyone in the group was technically a friend, there was no one but Zack that she felt she could actually confide in. There was Isabella, of course, who had been like a foster mother to her for most of her life. And yet their relationship had been strained ever since the truth of Trini's parentage had been revealed. Isabella had not treated her any differently since then, and Trini had done her best to do the same, but it was too late: the seeds of doubt had been planted.

Isabella and her husband had known the truth about Trini from the moment she became Kimberly's handmaid and companion. They had welcomed her into their home unquestioningly. They had encouraged their son to befriend and protect her. When he might have married a princess and become a king, they had allowed him to carry on quietly loving Trini instead.

She had always thought highly of them for treating her as an equal, for accepting a common maidservant as part of their family. Now she could help but wonder if it had been ambition, rather than love and compassion, that had prompted them not to push harder for their son to marry Kimberly. What if they'd only tolerated Trini because they'd had their eyes on an even bigger prize than Kimberly and her kingdom?

She had wondered and wondered, but never asked. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear the answer. She wasn't sure she would ever be ready.

On the other hand, Angela had never been a close friend, but she had also never cared one way or the other about Trini. She had always been courteous and had never spoken unkindly about Trini's humble background the way others often had, especially when they were younger. Even now, Angela was here for Zack, not to curry favor with a vulnerable princess.

She was unpretentious and unfailingly kind to all her companions, without picking out Trini in particular, though she sometimes turned a surprisingly wicked sense of humor on Zack or some unsuspecting guardsman. Riding alongside Angela and Zack made Trini feel almost at home, almost at ease, as if they were merely out for a day's ride outside the city and not on their way to some unknown fate in a distant land. And it almost made up for the strained suspicion she still felt around Isabella Scott.

And so, slowly and uneventfully, the days crept past. They made their way south in no particular hurry, spending their nights in well-appointed inns and waystations, once even stopping to enjoy a local festival. Trini did her best to make the others think all this put her at ease. She appreciated their intentions and their efforts, even if she felt like nothing would ever scour the memory — and the fear — of Ivan Ooze from her soul.

The very idea of crossing the border into Taye was enough to give her nightmares, and only got worse with each day that passed. That there was now no way to turn back did nothing to help. And yet as much as she feared what was to come, she knew there was no way to put that fear to rest but to face it head on.

Too bad that was easier said than done.

She lingered in her room one morning, weeks after they first set out, just to delay the inevitable a little longer. Last night had seemed like any other night on the road, but this morning she could no longer ignore it. This was the last inn.

A few more days crossing empty wilderness and they would emerge undetected in Taye before slowly making their way back to the main highway that would take them all the way to the capitol city. Trini did not need to ask why they had veered off the main highway several days ago, ending up at this inn in the middle of nowhere and with the prospect of several days camping in the open ahead of them. They could have stayed on the highway and slept in sumptuous inns all the way to the Tayene border and beyond, but it was at one of those inns that Sunan Lin and his men had sprung their trap and whisked Trini and Zack into captivity.

Trini wasn't sure whose idea the detour had been, but she was grateful for it. She didn't think she could bear to revisit the place where her misfortunes had begun.  
Someone knocked on her door and she startled, yanked back to the present as her heart raced in her chest. "Who is it?" she asked, half wondering if she ought to go out the window, and if it had been a mistake to let anyone know she was in her room.

"It's Angela."

Cursing herself for letting irrational fear get the better of her, Trini went to open the door. Every single guardsman that accompanied her had been personally vetted by Queen Kimberly, and there was no way she could conceive of Zack, Isabella, or Angela somehow betraying her. She needed to focus on that, not on what had happened before. With that thought firmly in mind, she opened the door and forced a smile onto her face. Angela was alone in the hallway, but she was clearly not convinced by Trini's cheerful expression.

"Are you okay?" she asked after Trini had let her in. She paused uncertainly. "Zack told me some of what happened… last time." She paused again, as if wondering if they were good enough friends to continue. "It didn't seem like anyone else was making sure you were ready for this, so I thought I should."

Trini sank down to sit on the bed, the only furniture in the room save for a single small table that sat beside the bed. "Thank you," she breathed, surprised at just how much the simple gesture meant to her.

Angela sat beside her, close enough that Trini could lean against her if she wanted to. "If you're not ready, we can tell them to wait," she offered.

That would only make everyone worry without solving anything, Trini knew. Instead of saying so, she asked, "Is Zack ready?"

Angela sighed. "I'm not sure. He just says he'll follow your lead when I ask him about it. I wish he'd be more open with me, but I guess I can understand why it's difficult for him."

"I'm not sure I'm ready, either," Trini admitted. "But I think I'd like to get it over with."

That earned her a chuckle. "If that's what you'd like, I can tell the others for you."

"Thanks," Trini said, more sourly than she had intended. "But I should probably do it. I have to get used to giving orders at some point. Does it ever get any easier?"

"I'd like to say yes, but… at this point I'm not sure if it got easier or if I'm just naturally bossy."

That did it: a fit of giggles swept through her. Angela smiled. "That's better."

"Thank you," Trini managed to say when she had finally quieted her nervous laughter. "I mean it. I needed that."

"I thought you might."

"For what it's worth, I'm really glad you joined us."

"You know, I felt completely ridiculous sneaking off after you like that," Angela confessed. "I've never done anything like that before, never disobeyed my parents. And I had no idea if you'd send me back or let me stay, but I had to try."

"You were willing to do all that just to be with Zack. How could I turn you away? You two love each other."

Angela was quiet for a moment. "You really miss him, don't you?"

Trini didn't have to ask to know she was talking about Jason. She wondered if they had been that obvious about their feelings that everyone knew and just pretended it was a secret, or if Zack had told Angela. Somehow, it didn't really matter right now. "I do." She took a breath to steady herself. She had missed Jason a lot, but she had also tried very hard not to think about him. Thinking of him would just make her miss him more, and would not bring her any closer to him. "There's a part of me that's afraid I'm never going to see him again."

Kimberly and Aisha would have told her that of course she'd see Jason again, of course they would have a happy ending together. Her friends would have accepted nothing less, no matter how unlikely or ridiculous. And they would have made sure it happened. Angela, by contrast, was unwilling to make promises she had no power to keep. "I hope you do see him again," was all she said.

Trini gave her a small smile as silence fell over them. It wasn't the comfortable, friendly kind of silence that she shared with Zack, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant, either. It was the kind of silence that made her think that someday she and Angela could really be friends. She rather liked that idea.

Knowing that they had delayed enough already and their companions would soon grow impatient to be on the road again, she stood and let out her breath in a rush. "Let's get this over with."


	3. Roadblock

Author's note: Apparently a chapter every six months or so is my sweet spot for this story. Sorry for the slow updates... I hope you enjoy!

-x-

 **Chapter Two: Roadblock**

There was no fanfare when they crossed the border and entered Taye. Nothing felt any different; everything looked much the same as it had for the preceding weeks. In fact, contrary to all her fears, Trini wasn't even sure when they crossed the border at all. They made the crossing far enough out in the wilderness that there wasn't a single border marker. When they finally veered back toward the highway, it felt like she could breathe easily again. She knew the hardest parts of the journey still lay ahead, but at least she could set aside the fearsome specters of the past and move forward.

As they rejoined the main highway and veered south again, the villages they came to began to look more and more different from the ones back home. Buildings here were in the Tayene style, with gracefully sloped roofs and intricate woodworking on doors and shutters.

They had decided in advance not to hide their purpose from the Tayene people, but Trini still felt uncomfortable riding at the head of the long column of guards and supply wagons. The time had come to take on the role of princess, and she felt anything but ready. She felt much more comfortable fading into the background and letting Kimberly and Jason take the lead — and all the attention. That was no longer an option. A true princess must not follow. She must be ready to lead.

Kimberly had managed the transition. Trini only hoped she would be as lucky.

Her companions were in good spirits, and their cheer buoyed her. Zack, especially refused to let her succumb to her worries and what-ifs. It seemed she was more thankful to have him along every day.

They followed the main highway south for several more weeks, until Trini began to wonder just how large the kingdom of Taye really was. She'd seen maps, of course. But seeing it in person was altogether different. How could one person possibly hope to rule all of this?

Because they were not making any attempt to disguise their purpose — or Trini's identity — it wasn't long before word began to spread ahead of them. Trini wasn't really sure what that would mean. It made her a trifle nervous, but Isabella seemed convinced that it would only help their cause. Trini could still envision a hundred ways it could all go wrong. The kingdom had been sealed to outsiders almost as long as Trini had been alive. To judge by the abundance of food and trade they saw along the way, things had been going along just fine since then. All these years with no king or queen… who was to say anyone at all would welcome the old king's foreign-raised daughter? Especially when that daughter had so little in the way of evidence to prove her identity.

One accident on the road was all it would take for it all to be lost. One "accident" on the road was all it would take for whoever was ruling in Taye to get her out of the way permanently. She hated to think that way about her own people, but she couldn't forget that they'd been perfectly willing to marry her off to Emperor Zedd of Phaedos in exchange for his protection. Now that they were free from the threat of Zedd and Ivan Ooze, what might they decide to do with her?

She knew what she hoped, of course, but it was better to be prepared for anything.

Nothing could have prepared her for the city of Taye.

It sprawled in all directions, nearly as far as the eye could see, dwarfing all she had ever known. Home had always seemed just right, but now she realized just how tiny the city around Kimberly's castle really was. By comparison, Taye was enormous and ungainly.

At first all she could do was stare at its immensity.

The city was like nothing she had seen before; she had not thought so many people could live in all the fabled vastness of Phaedos, or perhaps even the entire world. And yet the truth was spread out before her. She could not deny the truth, even if she'd wanted to.

A part of her panicked. How could she ever hope to gain the trust and support of even a fraction of the hordes that lived in this one city? In all likelihood, she knew she need only convince the nobles, but even that seemed an impossible feat.

Then Zack was there, cutting through the sense of overwhelming inadequacy. "Kimberly's going to be pretty unhappy when she finds out about this," he observed. "Can you imagine how many shops are in this city?"

Although she didn't find the situation all that amusing, she had to laugh. And she did appreciate the attempt at humor after all.

Angela picked up on what Zack was doing. "We'll have to find some really impressive Tayene fashions before Kim makes any official visits. Won't we, Trini?"

And so Trini rode into the city of her birth surrounded by her friends' banter. It wasn't until they were well into the city and had passed the first checkpoint that she realized she'd been afraid it would all end here. They'd made no secret of her identity all this time. She couldn't imagine that the council that had ruled Taye for the last decade would allow a claimant to the throne to pass into the city, but that was exactly what happened. No one stopped them. No one even seriously questioned them. The checkpoint guards looked at her dubiously when Isabella announced her, but they waved her through without comment.

As she waited for Isabella to negotiate passage for their armed escort, Trini wondered for the first if her claim wasn't going to be taken seriously. How many girls might have come here claiming to be the long lost princess over the years? It hadn't occurred to her before, but now it seemed not just likely but obvious.

"How am I going to convince anyone that any of this is true?" she asked.

Angela chuckled. "What? That you're a princess? Well, you've already convinced all of us, or we wouldn't be here."

"Says the woman who chased us down to be with Zack," Trini shot back.

Angela mimed taking an arrow to the heart. "Nobody warned me you were so heartless," she teased.

"You should ask Kim sometime," Trini told her, trying to keep a straight face. "I'm truly awful. I just hide it well."

When everyone was finally through the checkpoint, Isabella guided them to an inn that was well-appointed but not opulent. Most of their escort would be staying in cheaper lodgings nearby, but it would apparently not do for the princess of Taye to be seen cutting corners. Thinking that Kimberly would never have felt out of place staying in a place like this while her companions made do with less, Trini did her best to accept it.

"It's still so strange not to think of myself as a handmaid," she confessed to Zack and Angela over dinner. Thankfully, Isabella was out in the city, scouting out potential options for gaining access to the Tayene Council to present Trini's case. Trini loved Isabella Scott, who had taken her in as a child and made her feel welcome in a strange and confusing land, but the lady's insistence that Trini never doubt her identity was sometimes tiresome. Her life had been turned upside down. It wasn't that easy to just ignore everything she had ever known.

"Still?" Zack asked. "You know you were never really a normal handmaid to begin with. We just didn't realize it…"

"Because Zordon's magic suggested — strongly — that we not question it," Trini finished glumly. It seemed so obvious now! But back then, magic hadn't even seemed real; she'd never thought Zordon was an actual sorcerer, much less that Kimberly and her mother possessed powerful magic passed down from a noble Phaedan line. Noting the look of dismay on Angela's face, she asked, "How much did you tell her, Zack?"

"All of it!" he swore.

She wondered.

"He did," Angela assured her. "I just didn't believe any of the stuff about magic."

"But you saw the dragon," Trini protested.

"And Zack's magic ring and armor," Angela agreed cheerfully.

Trini shook her head. Zack just laughed.

-x-

Six days later, Isabella had made very little headway. She had verified that Taye was indeed ruled by what had once been the king's advisory council, now the Tayene Council, and that any claimant to the throne would need to win their approval, but she had not been able to get much further than that. Trini was beginning to suspect that the Tayene Council's plan was simply to deny and delay. If they made her wait long enough, she would run out of patience or money and be forced to abandon her claim. That way they would never have to deny — or acknowledge — her at all. They could just deny her access to them and their ability to legitimize her claim. She might never get a chance to resume her lost place.

"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad," she told Zack. "I'm not even sure I want to be a princess. It's hard work, and so tedious! And I'm only just starting to really learn about Taye. There's so much I don't know —"

"Are you done doubting yourself?" Zack asked. His tone was jovial but there was steel behind it. "Even if you do decide you don't want to pursue this, you know you deserve to be heard."

They were conversing in the slow, halting Tayene that was the best either of them could manage. It was frustrating, but Trini knew she needed the practice. She'd hardly spoken her native language in the years since Uncle Li (or rather the bodyguard that had posed as her fictitious Uncle Li) had died. Before she could face the Tayene Council, or any of the nobles, her Tayene must be as flawless and effortless as she could get it.

"I know, but…" she hesitated. He waited her out, letting the bustle of the street around them fill the silence. "I wonder if it's going to be worth it. I never wanted any of this."

"It'll be what you make of it," he said by way of assurance. "You'll find a way to make it worth your while."

She laughed lightly. "Such confidence!"

"I'll give you my favor to carry into battle if you think it'll help," he went on cheerily. Picturing him as a solemn lady sending her beloved off to battle in a great melee only made it worse.

"I'm not sure Angela would appreciate that," she fired back when she had regained some of her composure.

Suddenly she became aware of the forbidding looks that were being directed their way. The people of the city were not exactly unfriendly, but Zack's dark skin marked him clearly as an outsider and Trini's accent always seemed to arouse suspicion. Taye had been closed to outsiders for so long, the locals no longer seemed sure of how to feel about anybody that wasn't obviously Tayene.

That was another mystery she wanted to solve, now that she thought about it. The kingdom had been sealed just after the entire royal family was wiped out, but nobody outside of Taye had ever really known why either of those events occurred in the first place. One day, Trini wanted to know why her family was dead, and now why the kingdom had sealed itself away. And, though she would likely never know, she wanted to know why Zordon had spirited her away and hidden her true identity. Somehow, it didn't quite add up.

"I know that look," Zack said, switching back to the language of their youth. "What are you plotting?"

"Plotting?" she asked, allowing him to take her arm and steer her toward the cross street that would lead them back to the inn. "I'm not plotting. I'm… asking questions."

"Any answers yet?"

"No, but I haven't asked anyone yet!"

They were probably halfway back to the inn when a man stepped into their path. He was roughly of an age with Zack and Trini, and was also obviously an outlander — he would have looked more at home in Kimberly's castle than he did on the streets of Taye.

For a moment Trini wondered if they were about to be robbed, or worse. Then the newcomer said, "I'll be damned. The rumors are true."

"What rumors?" Zack asked. His stance was still relaxed, but his hand had gone to the hilt of the knife at his belt. "And do you mind telling us who in the world you are?"

Trini realized two things at once: the newcomer was dressed in fine clothes such as a nobleman might wear, and he therefore most likely wasn't here to rob them, and that he'd spoken the same language she and Zack had been conversing in. Derived from Phaedan, it was very different from the local Tayene language.

"The whole palace is buzzing with rumors saying there's another Princess Trinity in town," the newcomer explained, "only this one's way more convincing than any of the others. I can see why. You're the very picture of the princess's portrait, if I may say so, my lady."

Trini gave him a level look. "That still doesn't tell us who you are," she pointed out.

He had the decency to flush. "Where are my manners? Stopping you on the street out of nowhere and not even introducing myself. My name is Richard Everett. At your service." He said it with a flourish and a deep bow.

Zack and Trini shared a look. They didn't need words to ask each other: who the heck is this guy?

"So what," Zack hedged. "You heard some wild rumor and came running to check it out?"

Richard gave a self-deprecating sigh and gestured to the building nearest them on the street, the same one that he had most likely come out of just before he stepped into their path. "Why don't we have some coffee and I'll explain?"

A part of Trini wanted very much to scream and run at the prospect of trusting a chance-met stranger who claimed to have good intentions, but she forced herself to remain calm. Ivan Ooze was dead. This couldn't be another one of his traps. And somewhere nearby were two royal guardsmen. If anything untoward happened, help was only a few steps away.

Zack looked at her expectantly, leaving it up to her. Cautiously, she gave a nod.

A short while later the three of them were seated within the dim confines of the coffee house (and so were the two borrowed royal guards, who sat discreetly at their own table a short distance away). It was cozy inside, with small intimate tables and comfortable cushions to sit on. Richard ordered for them all, including the guards, after finding out that neither Zack nor Trini had ventured into one of the city's many coffee shops yet. Unbeknownst to Trini, it seemed that the City of Taye was famous for its coffee.

Once the coffee had been served and Trini and Zack had taken their first tentative sips of the warm, pleasantly bitter liquid, Richard began, "How much do you know about what's been going on in Taye?"

"Not much," Trini admitted. "I was only a little girl when we left… Next thing I knew, the kingdom had sealed itself off to the outside world and no one could get past the border. Even if I'd wanted news from home, there was no way to get it." So she had just stopped worrying about it, and Kimberly's castle had become her home. She sighed. "I was just a child, so no one told me very much. All I knew was that my parents were sending me to be fostered with a princess."

It seemed like a good idea to leave out the part where she'd been magically forced to forget her true identity.

Richard considered what she had said. "As I understand it, there was an uprising within the Council, spurred by the question of how to protect the kingdom from a powerful sorcerer." Trini's coffee suddenly tasted sour, so she set her cup down. "The royal family wouldn't agree to using magical shields to keep everyone out of the kingdom, so someone in the dissenting faction had them taken care of —" he said it so casually "— and put the protection spell in place. It was too late, of course, but the Council did roust the traitors and had most of them executed…" He trailed off. "I'm sorry. You look ill. I never meant —"

"No," she said softly. "I needed to know. There's so much I still don't know."

Richard nodded. "I had a feeling that might be the case. Do you want me to keep going?"

She didn't, but she nodded anyway. After all, she had wanted to know what happened to her family and why.

"The king and queen, plus their sons and all their various other relations were all accounted for in the end," Richard told her. She really felt sick now. Brothers? She'd had brothers? She had no memory of them at all, only of her parents. Richard spoke more slowly now, choosing his words with greater care. "But nobody ever found the princess."

"So when you said this one's more convincing, you meant that girls have been claiming to be the lost princess ever since she disappeared," Zack clarified. Score one for that theory, Trini thought dourly.

"Yes. The Council typically won't even see claimants anymore. As far as they're concerned, it's a waste of time after so many obvious fakes."

This, Trini decided, was good information to have, even if it would make things more difficult. She wondered how much of this Isabella had already uncovered and kept to herself, thinking to spare Trini the harsh reality.

"What do you think my chances are? Do you think they will see me?" she asked.

Richard shrugged. "I'm an outsider even though I've lived here my whole life. I'm not exactly privy to what the Council does on a regular basis. I hear things sometimes from my friends in the palace, but not much." He paused. "I don't know if they'll ever be willing to see you."

"Then why seek me out?"

"There's been no luck finding the princess while the kingdom was still locked down, which implies that the princess got out before the shield went up. If she'd been on this side of the shielding spell, she should have turned up at some point, right? So when I heard there was a new claimant, a Tayene woman of the right age with a foreign accent… well, I admit that made me curious."

"So you came to see if I was what they said?"

"More or less. I am sorry to have imposed on your time, and for any distress I may have caused you or your companions," he told her.

She shook her head. "Don't be. You've been very helpful. I came here without really knowing what I was getting into, to see where my memories would lead me. What you've told me has been a big help."

He smiled, then. He really had a dazzling smile. "Then I'm glad. And for what it's worth, I meant it when I said you look just like the last portrait of the princess. You know, if she'd grown up."

"Aren't you going to ask where I grew up or how I got out of Taye? Or why I've come back?"

The smile widened as he chuckled. "I assumed you'd come back because the shielding spell failed about a year ago, so you finally could return… though I suppose there could be other reasons." He shrugged. "And besides, anyone can say they came from anywhere. There's no way to prove any of it ."

"How pragmatic," Zack muttered.

"Richard," Trini began.

"Call me Richie," he suggested with another grin.

"Okay, Richie," she started over, testing out the name. "This may be asking too much, but could you get me in to see that portrait?"

"Sure, but it won't have anything to do with me. They opened the old royal gallery to the public almost five years ago now, and all the royal family's portraits are there, going all the way back. All you have to do is pay the admission fee, and you're in."

Well, at least one thing was going to be straightforward. "Where can we find the royal gallery?"

With perfect innocence, Richie asked, "Why don't I show you tomorrow?"


	4. The Gallery

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, again. And again, thank you to everyone for your support.

 **Chapter Three: The Gallery**

The former royal gallery was several hours' walk from the inn where Trini and the others were staying. Luckily, Richie seemed to have enough money at his disposal to rent a carriage for the day, and that made the trip much more comfortable, if not any shorter. The streets were so clogged with people that the few carriages were hardly able to crawl along.

Trini tried not to gawk too much as they made their way out of the visitors' section and into the city proper, but it was challenging not to stare at the city around them. She had never seen anything like it before, at least not that she could remember, and yet so much of it was familiar. There was simply _more_ of everything. The whole place seemed a tangle of buildings, in a variety of different styles, some of them obviously new and others clearly ancient, and it positively teemed with people. They were everywhere, in all kinds of clothing, some faces bright and smiling while others were closed off and guarded. And, for once, most were people who looked like her—tending toward straight black hair and dark, almond-shaped eyes, with skin in every shade of brown.

The guards at the checkpoints waved them on with barely a glance for Richie, who they seemed to recognize, but looks of suspicion for his guests. They did not ask any questions. Trini wondered if they wanted to.

Richie didn't seem particularly bothered by any of this, so Trini tried her best not to let her jitters show. Nothing bad was going to happen today. She was, as far as anyone amid the seething crowd knew, just an ordinary young woman going out with friends for the day.

"So what do you usually do around here?" Angela was asking. Trini had begun to recognize the expression she was wearing now. That look of bored calm was defensive; she only looked like that when she was unsure of a situation. Trini shared her sentiments, and was glad she'd been willing to come along today. Especially since Zack seemed determined to stare menacingly at their host the whole time. At least Angela knew how to neatly defuse the situation without wounding either of the men too much.

Richie shrugged in response to Angela's question. "Lately? Not much. Everything's up in the air because the trade routes are open again."

"What about your family? No interest in trade?"

Another shrug, accompanied by a look Trini knew too well. "The family business has been in my father's steward's—my steward's—hands since my parents died. He does a good job of it, but that doesn't leave a lot for me to do."

Zack had protested that their run-in with Richie had been too convenient to be coincidence, but it was sounding pretty plausible to Trini. What else did he have to do when money wasn't a problem, but gaining acceptance in the noble Tayene circles was?

"I'm sorry about your parents," Trini said automatically. "You must have been lonely after they died." All alone, in a land that wasn't really home. She remembered how she'd felt when Li died, and was thankful all over again that she'd still had her friends to help her get through it. She hoped Richie had also had friends to help him with his grief.

"Thanks. It wasn't so bad, though. Quinn—my steward—was there for me, and I'd lived here for as long as I could remember. All my friends were here, and so was everything I'd ever known." Trini wondered if he knew how similar his story was to her own childhood. She knew what Zack would say: how convenient it was that they shared this experience. But she just couldn't believe Richie would lie about something like this. What could he hope to gain from befriending her, anyway? Her chances of becoming the acknowledged princess were nearly nonexistent.

She caught the warning look from Zack, tried not to sigh, and refrained from telling Richie about their similar childhoods. It irked her, a little, to know that Zack didn't trust her judgment. But she also knew he was just trying to keep her safe.

"Is there anything we should know before we get to the gallery?" Angela interceded easily.

"There's a small entrance fee, which it will be my pleasure to pay," Richie told them. If the change of topic bothered him, it didn't show. "The curators seem to think it'll deter the common riffraff, but it doesn't, really." The way he said it made it sound as if he considered himself part of the 'common riffraff'. He added, as an afterthought, "It keeps everyone away. Or maybe they're not as interested in the past as they used to be."

It amused Trini a little to hear him give voice to an idea that had often been in her thoughts lately. Perhaps no one would care that the long lost princess had returned, after all. Perhaps there would be nothing for her to do here, in the end.

Yet when they finally reached the gallery, the curator on duty could not seem to stop staring at her as he grudgingly collected their entrance fee from Richie. It was unnerving to be stared at so blatantly. The feeling made her skin crawl.

Richie was aware of her discomfort, or else he just had very good timing. He ushered them past the entry hall and into the gallery proper just when Trini thought she might be too uncomfortable to go on. In comparison, the gallery was an enormously soothing space. High ceilinged and dimly lit, it was pleasantly cool and very quiet. They were the only patrons.

In the hush, Richie led them past a number of exquisite portraits and straight to the last portrait of the lost princess. It, like most of the paintings, was quite small, only a bit bigger than Trini's outstretched hand, but the artist's skill was evident. The joyous young girl in the painting looked as if she might burst into a fit of delighted giggles at any moment.

"Oh, Trini," Angela breathed. "She looks just like you!"

Zack and Richie were watching for Trini's reaction. Too bad she didn't know what to think. Maybe if she'd had one of Kimberly's expensive glass hand mirrors to make the comparison, herself…

Angela elbowed Zack in the ribs. "Well, this won't hurt your case," he managed.

"Why don't we take a look at some of the other paintings, since we're already here?" Richie suggested. "We can come back to the princess. She's not going anywhere."

More relieved than she would like to admit, Trini nodded. "My uncle Li… that is… I was taught some of the history of Taye. I'd like to see the paintings from that history."

As Richie led them through the gallery, Trini was surprised and pleased to discover just how much she remembered from her history lessons with Li, and just how thorough those informal lessons had been. She recognized the names of nearly every person whose portrait now resided in the gallery, though if Richie had been hoping she might also recognize some of the faces, he was doomed to disappointment. Even the portraits of the last princess's three brothers failed to spark a response. The boys might as well have been strangers. Trini wasn't sure how she should feel about that.

The portrait of Taye's last king and queen, however… Trini didn't realize she was shaking until Zack reached out to steady her. There, rendered by the same talented hand that had so lovingly captured their daughter, were the parents Trini remembered. Thanks to Zordon's spell, her memories of them had been hidden and sealed away for years. When the spell at last was broken, those carefully preserved memories had come flooding back, as if she'd just seen her parents yesterday.

She staggered, tears streaming suddenly down her face. Even more than the portrait of the princess, this was proof of her past. Her parents looked back at her from the canvas, exactly as she remembered them.

With her memories and her true identity sealed away, with 'uncle' Li to love her and Lord and Lady Scott acting almost as foster parents, she had not really missed her parents. She had hardly thought of them at all, believing they were wealthy merchants making their fortune back home in Taye while their daughter grew up in Queen Kathlyn's court. Not knowing they were dead, she had never mourned for them.

The truth—that her parents were dead and had been dead for years and she would never see them again—hit her full force.

Zack held her while she cried, casting alternately bewildered and pleading looks in Angela's direction. She only smiled sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder.

-x-

Hours after the trip to the royal gallery, Trini sat alone in her room at the inn, surrounded by quiet darkness. The day's events had been so overwhelming that she had excused herself immediately after dinner, and had stayed in her room ever since. She wondered if Zack and Angela were worried about her, and hoped not.

She would be fine, she knew. She just needed time to process what had happened today.

Somehow, she had not expected a simple day trip to affect her so much. She thought she had already confronted her feelings of loss and isolation, but this was evidently not the case. The portraits in the gallery had reawakened all the feelings and memories that she thought she had dealt with, and left her feeling raw inside all over again.

She had to wonder if reclaiming her place here in Taye would turn out to be worth all the pain.

 _At least_ , she thought, _I don't seem to have any tears left now_. In some ways, it was a relief to have cried herself out.

She was beginning to feel like she could think clearly again without feeling overcome by grief. This was an important step, she knew. Now she could begin to map out her next steps. She had avoided doing this before, not wanting to get too far ahead of herself. There was, after all, no real point in going too far in her planning before she could find a way to confirm the things she thought she remembered. Now that she'd done that, she needed to seriously consider what she wanted to accomplish next.

She knew what the others would want her to do. Zack and Angela, and all the friends she had left behind, would merely want her to be safe and happy, to take her time exploring her heritage so as not to push too hard too quickly. And Lady Scott would most likely encourage her to pursue the opportunities presented by the gallery. The portraits there proved that she had at least a reasonable resemblance to the former royal family, and the curator's interest in her might yield more useful information, such as potential contacts at court that might be sympathetic to her cause. Trini shuddered at the memory of the curator's eyes, unable or unwilling to look away from her, and hoped it wouldn't come to speaking with him again.

In a way it was almost funny. After surviving Ivan Ooze, it had seemed like this should be easy. But none of it had been easy, not from the very start.

She wondered what Kimberly and Jason would think of all this. After all their adventures of the past two years or so, she had to wonder if they would be uncomfortable facing a situation that couldn't be resolved by killing an evil sorcerer. She thought they probably would be. Possibly even as uncomfortable as she was, having to focus on herself instead of on her friends.

Thinking about Kimberly and Jason was a mistake. She missed them both so much, even more than the family she had never really known. She thought of Jason back in Phaedos, no doubt sparring with his Council again, and of Kimberly beginning to raise her child and to rule her kingdom at last. If only she could see them again… She laughed a little, realizing she should have thought to bring someone along that knew how to teleport. How much easier that would have made everything!

How long would it take to send a message to Kimberly, or to Jason, now back in Phaedos? What information would they need to teleport someone to her?

She rose and made her way by feel to the desk. There she lit a candle and gathered paper, pen, and ink, and began to write a letter. By the time she finished, she felt much better, as if by putting pen to paper she had helped dispel the lingering sadness.

Finally, she felt as if she might be able to sleep, and greet tomorrow with fresh eyes.

-x-

"What do you think?" Zack asked.

Angela stared at her empty mug and sighed. "I don't know, Zack."

It was late. They were both tired, and both reluctant to go to bed just yet. So they were tucked into a corner of the inn's common room. They had spent much of the evening discussing the city and the art gallery, but had lapsed into comfortable silence a while ago.

"He's got to be up to something," Zack muttered.

This earned him another sigh from Angela. "But what? What in the world could he hope to gain?"

He knew she was frustrated by his suspicions—so was Trini, for that matter—but he'd meant it when he swore to keep her safe. He'd failed in that promise the first time. He was determined not to fail again. "I don't know," he admitted, "but the way he targeted her… I don't like it."

Suddenly Angela laughed. "Zack, are you worried she might be in danger or are you worried Richie will sweep her off her feet while Jason isn't looking?"

He frowned. She made it sound silly, but the two didn't seem so different to him. Once, not that long ago, this would have been the start of an argument. Now, he didn't have the patience for that sort of thing. He supposed nearly dying could do that to a man.

Angela, on the other hand, seemed ready for a fight. He looked up and saw fire flashing in her eyes, and braced for the storm.

"You're just going to push her away if you keep doubting her judgment the way you have been," she told him pointedly.

Zack opened his mouth to rejoinder, could think of no good counterargument, and shut his mouth again, steaming.

"Any woman would appreciate a steadfast friend willing to protect her at all costs," Angela pointed out, ruthlessly pushing her advantage. "But I don't think Jason meant for you to stifle her or try to keep her away from everyone here in Taye. Sooner or later she's going to start to resent you. And then she'll start sneaking around without telling you anything. How will you protect her then?"

Since there was nothing else he could do, Zack scowled. Angela had made a very good point, but he couldn't just stand aside and let Richie do whatever he wanted. He had nothing against Richie, really, but he also had no way of knowing who might betray them. Sure, their odds of surviving a betrayal were a lot better than last time, but he would still rather avoid the whole mess. And the worst part was, this was only the start. It was only going to get worse from here.

"You really think she'd sneak around behind my back?" he asked at last.

Angela shrugged. "It's what I would do."

It was what Kimberly would do, too. But Trini? He sighed. "So what can I do?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the strategist?"

Rather than stay and fight, Zack bid her a good night and headed upstairs to his room. Not for the first time, he wished that Jason or Billy had come along on this venture. Kimberly had sent along that contingent of guards, but it just wasn't the same. The guards were there if they were needed, but Isabella Scott had mostly co-opted them into running errands for her. Zack was glad they were gathering intelligence, but couldn't imagine Bulk and Skull, much less the other guardsmen, as effective spies.

Zack lit a candle, then sat down on the narrow bed with a sigh. "What am I going to do?" he muttered.

As if in answer to his question, a soft blue light began to fill the room. Slowly, the light coalesced into a human-shaped figure, standing just inside the door, effectively trapping him. Zack drew his belt knife and stood, heart pounding. A human opponent, he could probably handle. But this was clearly magic.

He was about to attack when a very familiar voice said, "Hah! I can't believe the experiment was successful!"

Zack would have recognized that voice anywhere, and nearly dropped his knife in shock. "Billy?"

"Zack! How are you?" Billy asked. The scintillating figure of blue light seemed to be grinning. " _Where_ are you? Have you reached Taye yet?"

"Slow down, Billy," Zack protested, wanting to laugh out loud. It was so good to see his old friend again, even if it wasn't in his usual form. "What's going on? How are you here? _Are_ you here?"

"This is an astral projection. I've been working with Dulcea… She said this would be a challenging endeavor, but less intrinsically dangerous than an attempt to rebuild the damaged scrying pool."

He wondered how Dulcea was doing now that she had chosen to fade away, and didn't dare ask about Zordon. He settled for, "Why not just teleport?"

"This method enables me to be in two locations simultaneously," Billy explained, as if this made perfect sense. "With teleportation, I must alter my physical location. And the process benefits greatly from an awareness of the location one wishes to teleport to. Astral projection, conversely, benefits from a close familiarity with the person one wishes to project to."

"So you're not really here?"

"Negative, my friend. Corporeally, I am still in Phaedos, working on a number of urgent projects."

Zack mulled this over. "Tell me what's going on in Phaedos, and I'll fill you in on what we've been up to."

Billy did just that: Phaedos was much the same as always, with Jason often at odds with his Council over the affairs of state. "He's getting a little tired of his councilors pushing him to get married and sire an heir as soon as possible."

That earned a chuckle from Zack. "They still haven't figured out how stubborn he is, have they?"

"Indeed. However, I am beginning to suspect that the Phaedans are nearly as stubborn as Jason is," Billy confessed. "Though I would appreciate it if you didn't tell him I said that."

"Your secret is safe with me," Zack promised.

"Now, tell me about your journey. How is everyone? How is Trini?"

"Haven't you tried to reach her yourself?"

"I did, but could not make the connection." He paused as if deep in thought. "At first I hypothesized that the projection technique was imperfect or had failed, but I was able to reach you without trouble. Now I suspect she may be asleep."

"It is pretty late," Zack agreed with a grin. "We're all doing well, I guess. As well as can be expected," he went on, and retold the story of their tedious trip south and their arrival in the city of Taye. He wasn't sure at first if he should tell Billy about Richie, then decided to go ahead anyway. Maybe Billy would have a brilliant idea for what they should do next. "I'm worried that he's only going after Trini because she's the princess," he concluded, trying not to sound too sour.

"Do you think he means her any harm?" Billy asked, his voice grim.

"That's the thing. I'm not sure. I don't think so. And Angela says I'm pushing Trini away by doubting her opinion of his character." He sighed. "They don't understand that I can't risk him turning out to be another Sunan Lin."

The blue figure seemed to nod. "Your concern is understandable, my friend," Billy told him. "To me, at least, if not to Trini and Angela."

"Lot of good that does me," Zack muttered. "This would be a lot easier if there were more people I could trust here."

"Perhaps that can be arranged —"

A knock at the door cut him off. The blue light abruptly began to fade. "I will consult with Jason and the others. Now that I have confirmed that astral projection is an effective technique, I will contact you again soon."

The blue figure vanished and Zack found himself suddenly alone again. The candle's light seemed dim compared to the vibrant blue glow from moments ago.

The person outside knocked again, more hesitantly this time. Zack crossed the room and opened the door, and was surprised to find himself face to face with Angela. In truth, he'd been expecting Trini.

Confused, the only word he could think to say was Angela's name.

She looked contrite, almost scared. "Zack, I'm sorry," she said. "I went too far. I shouldn't have said that."

Zack didn't know what to say. Angela seldom apologized for her bouts of temper, and he certainly never expected her to. It was part and parcel of who she was. And whenever she was angry or frustrated about something, he'd found that there was usually a good reason for it.

"If we want to help Trini, we should work together, not keep arguing with each other," Angela went on. "We need to trust Trini, but that doesn't mean we have to let our guard down." She frowned self-consciously. "Please say something."

"You're right," he said, finding words at last. "Does that make us allies again?"

The frown turned into the coy smile he liked so much. "I guess that'll do for now," she decided, stepping closer to kiss him on the cheek. "Good night, Zack."

He watched a little wistfully as she walked down the hall to her own room. "Good night, Angela."


	5. Market Day

Author's note: It feels like it's been forever since I updated this story. Thank you to everyone who is still reading, even if you just discovered this story with this update!

I am really sorry that there's a note like this on every chapter of this story now. I always mean to work on it, but with my schedule it never seems to happen. Feedback is a big motivator for me, though... so if you like the story and want to see more, consider leaving a review?

-x-

 **Chapter Four: Market Day**

Lady Isabella Scott was waiting in the inn's common room when Trini came down in the morning. She looked well-rested: calm and poised and perfectly at home, all the things Trini wished she could feel herself. Isabella smiled as Trini made her way across the room, and gestured for Trini to join her at her table.

The lady was sipping at a steaming cup of tea. A stack of emptied plates stood in one corner of the table, waiting to be taken away for washing. Whatever the kitchen was serving this morning smelled delightful. All in all, today was looking much better than yesterday.

Trini sat down opposite Isabella. It wasn't long before someone came around to serve her a big helping of breakfast. She'd planned to tell Lady Scott about her trip to the royal gallery, but the scent of that delicious food had her digging in as soon as the serving woman set the plate down in front of her. It wasn't until she'd finished her first helping that she found the space for a conversation.

"I went to the royal gallery yesterday," she began, "to see the portraits of the royal family."

"And how did that go?" Isabella asked.

"It was harder than I thought it would be," she admitted. "I don't know what to do next."

"Isn't that why you have me, my dear?" Her lips had quirked into that gentle smile that always made Trini think of her as a foster mother. She'd felt so distant from Isabella lately that it was almost a relief to feel a little of that old affection.

"Is it?" The words slipped out before she realized what she was saying.

Isabella leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "That sounds like something's wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"

"You knew who I really was the whole time."

Lady Scott considered that. "Someone had to. I was honored that Zordon chose me and my husband for that role."

"Is that why you always encouraged Jason to be friends with me even though I was a nobody? Is that why you cared about me at all?" This was not at all the direction she'd thought this conversation would take. In fact, she'd planned never to tell Isabella of her own conflicted feelings. And yet it had all come tumbling out.

"Oh, Trini." Isabella shifted over into the chair beside Trini and, despite the breach of Tayene protocol, slipped her arm around Trini's shoulders. "You were a scared little girl far away from home, the same age as my own son. How could I not have wanted to help you?"

Trini leaned into the embrace, relieved beyond words at Isabella's reassurance.

"For all we knew, you would only ever be Kimberly's friend and maid," Isabella went on. "You couldn't come to us with any fanfare or great wealth, and we didn't know if it would ever be safe to reveal your true identity. But once Jonathan and I met you, we couldn't help but love you as if you were one of our own."

"I was so afraid that it had all been a lie," Trini murmured.

"The only lies we told were to keep you safe. We had no idea that Taye would be sealed off after Zordon brought you to us. We had to consider that assassins might come after you to finish putting an end to your family line."

Trini nodded. It made sense. It also sounded exactly like something Zordon would have been concerned about, and went a long way toward explaining why she'd gone north with a bodyguard playing the part of doting uncle. And why that bodyguard had trained her into an accomplished fighter.

"I think you should do something fun today," Isabella said, pulling Trini out of her memories and back to the present. "Something to help you get your mind off your troubles for a while."

"Like what?" Trini asked. She couldn't think of much in Taye City that sounded like fun just now.

"It's Market Day," Isabella pointed out. There were markets and shops all over the city that were open every day, but the monthly Market Day was an event that brought every vendor into the streets and included vastly more shows and entertainers than the ordinary markets. Most everyone in the city found time to slip away from work for a while to enjoy the festivities.

"You should take Zack and Angela and go have some fun," Lady Scott continued. "I'll be working a few leads at court today. Once I can get you an introduction there, you may not have many opportunities for frivolity for a while."

Trini stared down at her hands where they cupped her teacup. The warmth had seeped out of the tea and now she just felt cold. Instead of telling Isabella any of that, she simply nodded.

-x-

It didn't take much convincing on Trini's part to get Angela and Zack to agree to go to Market Day with her. It seemed all three of them needed a break after the trip to the royal gallery, and since there was no sign of Richie today they would just go without him. Trini wasn't sure what to make of that. While it might have been nice to have someone with some local insight—who didn't constantly look at her askance for keeping close company with foreigners—to show them around, she knew Zack didn't trust him and it would probably be easier without him there.

They headed out from the inn a few hours before midday, heading toward the nearest Market Day hub. It wasn't hard to find. All they had to do was follow everyone else on the street, heading toward the large plaza a few blocks from the inn where everyone seemed to be congregating.

Every road seemed crowded with people, filled with tables and tents where vendors sold their wares. Food and drink, clothes, trinkets, baubles, everything was for sale. The corners and plazas where there was more space were only slightly less crowded, and that was only because of all the performers that had staked out space there.

As it turned out, Isabella had been right. Market Day was a pleasant distraction, and Trini found she'd needed one of those right about now.

With the money Lady Scott had provided them, they were able to buy as much festival food as they could eat and had enough left over to start shopping for gifts for their friends back home. It wasn't long before Trini had collected some intriguingly designed jewelry that she thought Kimberly might like, made of glass rather than gemstones, but all in the bright pinks her friend adored so much. And once she had something for Kimberly, she knew she would need something for Jason and Billy and Aisha and all the others.

While she was browsing the wares set out in front of a tent filled with cloaks made of the finest fabrics, one of which was a beautiful red that had her thinking wistfully of Jason, she felt the unnerving sensation of eyes focused directly on her. She glanced around as surreptitiously as she could. She didn't want to draw negative attention to herself, but she had to know. She didn't see anyone looking her way.

And yet… she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

She rounded a corner of the tent and looked up, locking eyes with a girl of about sixteen years. The girl stared back at her, dark eyes seeming to see all the way to her very soul.

Trini was familiar with the customs here in Taye; she'd been teaching them to Zack and Angela along with the local language. The customs might not feel like her own, but she could follow them without thinking. They were distant memories, something some other Trini had known, a long time ago. It felt strange to follow those customs now, like they were someone else's clothes: perfectly suitable, but without the perfect fit of her own clothing.

Living in Kimberly's court under a false identity had probably saved her life. But it had also changed her forever. She could never again be the little girl who'd left with her bodyguard that day, all those years ago. Naive, trusting… malleable. She didn't remember the meeting with Zordon, or much else until she and Li had arrived at Hart Castle, but she knew the old sorcerer had locked her memories and identity away, transforming her from Princess Trinity of Taye into just Trini, Princess Kimberly Hart's new playmate and future handmaid.

But even Trini the erstwhile princess knew that direct, prolonged eye contact wasn't something that most Tayenes were comfortable with. If this girl kept staring at her like that, it couldn't mean anything good.

She broke eye contact and looked around for Zack.

Her heart raced, pounding with fear when she realized she couldn't see him anywhere. The sensation became even worse when she realized the girl had vanished.

Where was Zack? Had something happened to him and she hadn't noticed? Or was she just being paranoid because she'd caught that girl staring at her?

Angela must have noticed her rising panic, because she wended her way past a few people that weren't looking Trini's way and insinuated herself next to Trini. She took Trini's arm in hers and leaned in close. Smiling as if she were asking about Trini's purchases, she asked, "What's wrong?" She wasn't speaking Tayene.

"Something's not right," Trini whispered back. "That girl was staring at me... something's wrong. Very wrong."

"Where's Zack?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Angela, we have to get out of here."

Angela didn't nod or give any other indication of what Trini had just said. Switching to Tayene she said, "I'm sorry my lady, but I'm suddenly not feeling well. Might we go back to the inn?"

"Of course," Trini replied. "Hopefully we'll find Zack on the way so we can tell him where we're going."

They veered down the street in the direction of the inn without incident, but when they tried to turn onto a side street to escape from some of the throng they found their way blocked by a middle-aged woman. She didn't look like anything special in herself, like she might have been anyone at all, but she fixed her steely gaze on Trini and wouldn't look away.

Trini froze in horror, realizing that several other people in the crowd were now turning to face her and Angela. Were they closing in?

"I've been looking everywhere for you," the woman said. She didn't speak loudly but her voice came through clearly despite the noise all around. "Princess."

Trini recoiled as the woman reached for her, but she was too slow. The woman's hand locked around her wrist like a shackle.

And that was when Trini's instincts kicked in. Without even thinking about it she was moving, breaking the woman's hold and twisting away to crash into Angela. With the woman and her followers ringing them in, there was nowhere else to go.

Angela shrieked a warning as she caught Trini by the shoulders. There was anger written across her face, not fear. She might not be able to help fight off their would-be attackers, but she could certainly make sure everyone else in the crowded market knew what was going on. Trini, more given to silence than fearful cries herself, was grateful for it.

Trini fought the urge to reach for her ring and the security it promised. A marketplace packed with people was the last place she wanted to reveal that she possessed a powerful magic artifact, even if she would feel better armed and armored. If it came to a fight, she would have to rely on the hand-to-hand skills that Li had taught her all those years ago.

Zack pushed his way through the crowd from off to their left, in some places having to actually shove people out of his way, to rejoin them. If it weren't for the regulations that forbid going armed on Market Day, she had no doubt he would be brandishing his axe and wearing Erë's enchanted armor as he stormed to their rescue. He must have come to the same conclusion as Trini. Magic and weapons would be their last resort.

"What's going on here?" he demanded, managing a level of haughty condescension that he had to have learned from one of Kimberly's teenage snits.

The woman who'd grabbed Trini just a few moments ago backed off several feet, holding her hands up as if to protest her innocence. The people who must have been her cronies clustered around her, their eyes filled with something that looked disturbingly like malice. Trini fought off vivid memories of another group of Tayenes who had turned on her and Zack, Sunan Lin and his men who had been in the employ of Ivan Ooze, and tried not to freeze up.

"The prophecy speaks of this one," the woman, who Trini already thought of as the leader, said. "The lost princess shall be found, and with her magic shall return to the forsaken land of Taye."

Suddenly Trini was even more glad that she hadn't used her ring during the altercation — surely these people would take that as a sign that their prophecy was coming true. The last thing she wanted right now was to find herself surrounded by a conspiracy or, worse, a prophecy. She'd had enough of both in the past two years.

"If you are Princess Trinity," the woman went on, "then we can't afford to lose you to the Council. You must come with us. You must fulfill the prophecy before they put Taye at risk again."

Trini shivered despite the midday heat. "I can't do that," she said, her voice a horrified whisper. She hated how scared she felt in that moment, but could not stop from wondering if her friends would be able to find her if she were kidnapped a second time. She couldn't take the chance.

"She doesn't want to go with you," Zack told them. He stepped forward again, putting himself more firmly between Trini and the woman who'd been speaking. "I don't want to fight anyone, but I won't have a choice if any of you lays a hand on Trini again."

Zack turned, putting his back to the woman and her followers. "Let's go," he said. "I've got your back."

No one tried to stop them when they turned around and headed down the street. They had to take a circuitous route to avoid the place where they'd been waylaid the first time, but eventually they found themselves clear of the worst of the Market Day crowds and heading in the right direction. Trini was still shaking then, but she had managed to stop clinging to Angela quite so much.

"Hey! Hey, what's wrong?" Someone called out.

Trini glanced up, expecting the worst. Never in her life had she been so happy to see Bulk and Skull. The two guards loped over, already on the alert even though they were supposed to be off duty today.

"Someone tried to grab Trini just now," Zack informed them. "I don't think they'll try again, but we'd appreciate an escort back to the inn."

"Of course," Bulk said.

"You can count on us!" Skull added with a little salute.

Without any mention of what they'd been on their way to do, though the Market Day really left little doubt, they turned around and led the way back to the inn. They were so conspicuous in their monitoring of the passersby that no one dared to bother them, though the locals probably felt that they were being unconscionably rude.

Not long ago, Trini would have scoffed at the idea that she'd be grateful to have Bulk and Skull as her personal bodyguards. Now, as they made sure she got back to the inn safely, she was thrilled to have them.

-x-

Trini lingered in the inn's common room until late in the evening, or rather, early in the morning. Zack and Angela had finally given up and gone upstairs to bed almost an hour ago. She knew that the serving staff and several guards were also lingering there only for her sake, and felt a little guilty at keeping them at their posts so late.

But she couldn't bear the thought of going up to her room and once more facing the nightmares of her time as Ivan Ooze's prisoner. She couldn't know for sure that she was going to have a nightmare again… but she didn't want to find out. Remembering the events of that afternoon was enough to make her deeply uncomfortable. It wasn't a huge leap to think her nightmares would return after an experience like that.

 _You have to sleep_ , she told herself, striving to keep a grip on logic. Not sleeping would just make the next day or so even less bearable. And it would put her at a serious disadvantage if Isabella did manage to get her an appointment at court.

And yet.

Movement caught her eye, and the soft sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and entering the common room: Zack.

She felt another pang of guilt as he sat down beside her. "I'm sorry. You didn't have to come back to check on me. You should sleep."

"So should you," he told her.

"I know," she agreed. "But you remember what we went through, Zack. You remember the nightmares. I know you've had them, too."

He nodded. "I have." He was quiet a while. "I still think you should go upstairs and at least try to sleep."

"Zack."

"Everything will be okay. I promise."

"Zack."

"Don't make me carry you. Because I will."

She sighed. "Will you stay? In case…"

"If that's what it takes you to get you to sleep, I'll sleep outside your door or on your floor."

"Thank you."

"We've got guards at every entrance. Everyone's on high alert after what happened. No one is going to get in here tonight and hurt you," he assured her. "Anything that happens is only going to be in your mind. It's just memories, and those can't hurt you."

"I know," she breathed.

And somehow she managed to make herself get up and follow Zack to the stairs and up them and to the door of her room. She hesitated outside the door long enough to take a deep breath and let it go.

Someone opened the door from the inside. For a moment terror seized her, and then the shape that loomed in the shadows resolved into one that was deeply familiar — the best sight she'd seen all day.

"Jason!" She was in his arms in an instant, and didn't remember or care how she got there. She hadn't thought to see any of her friends, other than Zack and Angela, for months yet, when they were due to make their official visits to Taye. "What are you doing here? _How_ are you here?"

He chuckled and folded her in an eager embrace. She had the impression of Zack grinning widely, inordinately pleased with himself for pulling off the surprise, and then the door shut behind her and she and Jason were alone.

"Zack's been in touch with Billy," Jason explained. "They've been testing the abilities of the Ninjetti magic, or at least that's how Billy explained it to me." He sobered. "Zack told Billy that something happened today that really upset you. And when Billy told me, well…" He trailed off, sounding as if he felt rather sheepish about it now. She gathered that Billy must have teleported Jason into her room, and then they'd sent Zack to retrieve her.

"Thank you," she told him, choking up a little. "It means a lot that you'd come all this way for me."

"Hey now. I've done it before, and this time was a lot easier."

That coaxed a smile out of her.

"That's better." He let her go long enough to go light the two candles that were the room's only source of light. This time of year the hearth was empty, as the heat from the day was more than enough to keep the rooms warm through the night.

Trini stayed where she was, feeling suddenly shy.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Jason asked, slowly pacing back to where she waited.

"I don't know."

"It's okay if you don't."

Lady Scott had wanted to know every detail. So had the guards, and the inn's owner, and what felt like everyone else Trini had encountered all evening. Not explaining it all over again sounded like a blessing.

"Can we… can we talk about something else, though?" she asked.

Jason's hands were a warm comfort on her shoulders. "Whatever you want."

It took her a while to get started, like she couldn't find the words now that she'd asked to say them. "I feel like I don't belong here in Taye, or in Phaedos, or even back at Kimberly's court," she murmured at last. "It feels like I'm an outcast, like I'm never really going to belong anywhere."

"Then you're the wisest, most capable, most beautiful outcast I've ever seen," he told her. "Taye is lucky to have you. Give them time. They'll figure that out."

She moved into his arms, holding him a little tighter than before, as if that would allow her to also cling to his warm, familiar faith in her. The compliment about her looks was new, but she found she wanted to cling to that, too. "It feels a little more like home with you here," she confessed.

"Then I'll be here every night if you want me to be." It was a simple statement, and she knew he meant every word.

She pulled away to look up at him, not sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. "Do you really think Billy wants to use his Ninjetti magic to get you here every night?"

He shrugged. "I think he will, if I ask him. For you."

The warmth of Jason's love, and the love of all her friends, helped chase away the shadows and fears that lingered after the day's events. "I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything." And with that he kissed her deeply. There was a heated urgency in that kiss, the result of months of loneliness and longing. It was easy enough to recognize. She'd felt it all, herself.

She opened herself to him, her body reacting with stunning eagerness, flooding with warmth and desire. She hadn't realized just how much—and in what ways—she'd missed him until this moment. When he was here, despite the impossibility, and in her arms and every bit as eager and excited to be reunited as she was...

This powerful reaction, in combination with the stresses of the day, threatened to overwhelm her. "Can we just sleep tonight?" she asked, breathless as she broke away from the kiss, torn between wanting more and fearing it might break her. He hadn't asked for more, hadn't done anything more than kiss her as if his life depended on it, but somehow the thought of what a night alone together might lead to was thrilling and terrifying all at once.

Jason pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Whatever you need."

She all but melted against him. "Thank you."

With nothing more to say, Jason scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.


End file.
